Syrian troops preparing for fresh assault against US-backed SDF Deir ez-Zor bastion: reports

US troops are digging in as a new wave of pro-Syrian troops advance on the scene of a violent clash last week which saw dozens of Russian mercenaries killed.

THE United States is reportedly bolstering its defences near the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor as pro-Syrian forces mass troops and tanks ahead of a fresh attack.

The village of Khusham on the east bank of the river Euphrates was last week the scene of an intense three-hour long battle as US attack helicopters, strike fighters and artillery came to the aid of its troops caught in the middle of a surprise assault.

“On the evening of February 7th, the coalition acted in self-defence where coalition advisers were present to support SDF from a hostile force launching an unprovoked, co-ordinated attack across the Euphrates River against an established SDF position,” a Pentagon spokesman said.

American troops looking over a battlefield from a small outpost in northern Syria. Picture: AP

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The result was reportedly a massacre of pro-Syrian forces — which had advanced under the cover of artillery fire and with the support of armoured vehicles.

Moscow state media has accidentally admitted some 300 Russian ‘mercenaries’ fighting alongside Syrian Regime forces were killed by the decisive US counter attack.

But unconfirmed reports out of the district now say pro-Syrian Regime troops are preparing to make a second attempt at ousting the largely Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces who liberated the area from Islamic State back in September.

A Syrian tank shoots into an occupied town. In the power vacuum left by the collapse of Islamic State, Turkey, Syrian regime, Kurdish, Russian and Iranian forces are in a new grab for power.

REVENGE ATTACK?

Forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar Assad are reportedly gathering again near Deir ez-Zor in what could be preparations for a second offensive.

The target of last week’s surprise assault was a bastion held by SDF fighters on the Euphrates east bank. It is all that stands between the Syrian regime and rich oilfields in the area.

But there is one problem.

The United States has made it widely known that it has a unit of its soldiers “embedded” in the mostly Kurdish emplacement, acting in a training and advisory capacity.

Defending them is an artillery unit of US Marines. US and Coalition air forces are also constantly loitering in the area.

US troops mobilize to CONOCO fields after receiving information about imminent attack by #Iranian-backed militias.

قوات أمريكية تدخل حقل ومعمل كونوكو للغاز بعد ورود معلومات عن نيّة ميليشيات #إيران مهاجمة الموقع.#Syria #Coalition #Kuwait #Iraq #SDF #Iran#سوريا #العراق #قسد pic.twitter.com/5sNbdkeOg8

— Hammurabi's Justice News (@Hammurabi_News) February 15, 2018

Given their presence was no secret, US Defense Secretary General James Mattis earlier this week said he could not understand why the pro-Syrian Regime forces attacked.

But local media has been reporting in the past week of preparations for a fresh push against “Islamic State” forces near Deir ez-Zor.

But there are none.

The US-backed SDF ousted them from the area four months ago.

But pro-Syrian media often deliberately labels Syrians rebelling against the Assad regime as Islamic State terrorists.

There is believed to be about 70,000 pro-Syrian regime troops, including supporters from Lebanon, Iran and Russia, active in western Syria — mopping up the remnants of Islamic State and recapturing territory from pro-democracy rebels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria. Several private Russian military contractors were killed by a US strike in Syria. Picture: AP

CARNAGE CONFIRMED

Earlier this week it emerged Russian private contractors were among those killed in the February 7 surprise attack.

The news only emerged as grieving family and friends assailed Russian media with reports of their loss. Among the evidence presented was recordings from alleged mercenaries who survived the attack. While unverified, the details the recordings contain have been consisted with details of the battle as they emerged.

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The estimate on casualties, however, was confused. Numbers varied from less than a dozen to well over 100.

Reuters now says about 300 men working for the Kremlin-linked mercenary firm Wagner were either killed or wounded. This is in-line with unconfirmed reports on Russian social media stating two mercenary units of the company’s 5th Assault team were involved in the assault — with one being ‘wiped out’ and the other being ‘cut to ribbons’.

Yevgeny Berdyshev shows a list that residents of the village have compiled of the locals who are fighting in Syria, in Kedrovoye, Russia. Picture: AP

Reuters reports an anonymous Russian military doctor as admitting about 100 Russians were killed and 200 injured. Moscow officials so far only concede five deaths.

The toll is the highest since Russia’s thinly disguised invasion of Crimea and clashes in Ukraine in 2014, where more than 100 troops died.

Reuters quoted five independent sources as saying the injured from last week’s clash have since been airlifted to four different Russian hospitals for treatment.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told media that five Russian citizens had died in the area of the battle. She said reports of tens or hundreds of Russian casualties was disinformation.

Unconfirmed reports state that about 100 Syrian fighters also died. The total Russian-Syrian force involved in the battle is said to have been about 550 men.